Dog Eat Dog (1964 film)

(Redirected from Einer Frisst den anderen)

Dog Eat Dog (released as Einer frisst den anderen in Germany) is a 1964 German crime drama film starring Jayne Mansfield, Cameron Mitchell, Dodie Heath, Ivor Salter, Isa Miranda, Elisabeth Flickenschildt, Werner Peters, and Pinkas Braun.

Einer frisst den anderen
Original German film poster
Directed byRichard Cunha
Gustav Gavrin
Ray Nazarro
Albert Zugsmith
Written byMichael Elkins
Robert Hill
Based onWhen Strangers Meet
1956 novel
by Robert Bloomfield
Produced byCarl Szokoll
StarringJayne Mansfield
Cameron Mitchell
Dodie Heath
Ivor Salter
Isa Miranda
Elisabeth Flickenschildt
Werner Peters
Pinkas Braun
CinematographyRiccardo Pallottini
Edited byGene Ruggiero
Music byCarlo Savina
Production
companies
Ernst Neubach-Filmproduktion
Unione Cinematografica Internazionale
Michael Arthur Films
Distributed byAjay Film Co.
Release dates
  • 26 June 1964 (1964-06-26) (Germany)
  • 17 December 1964 (1964-12-17) (Italy)
Running time
86 minutes
CountriesGermany
Italy
Liechtenstein
LanguagesGerman
English

Filming occurred in late 1963 in Yugoslavia.[1] Mansfield was pregnant with Mariska Hargitay during filming.

Plot

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Three robbers, Lylle Corbett, Dolph Kostis, and Darlene, steal one million dollars from a shipment on its way to the United States. But instead of sharing the loot with Lylle, Dolph decides to kill him without Darlene's (who likes them both) knowledge. When returning to Darlene (his wife) at the Hotel Americano's, Dolph informs her that Lylle is out of the picture and that she should forget about him. Before Dolph's return, Darelene was visited by hotel manager Livio Morelli, requesting her to turn down the volume on her radio. Spotting a one-thousand-dollar bill under the edge of the bed, Livio quickly concluded that they are the robbers he heard about on the radio.

Dolph and Darlene make a get-away on a rental boat. They are unaware that the hotel manager's innocent looking sister, Sandra, is in the back of the boat and has planted a bomb to kill the pair. She wants the money for herself and her brother. Lylle, who turns out to be very much alive, is also on board.

Lylle takes everybody hostage before they arrive on a supposedly "deserted" island. However, the island is not entirely deserted; Lady Xenia has retired here to spend her final days in peace, accompanied by her butler Jannis. Also arriving on the island is hotel manager Livio, who has left his "girlfriend", Madame Benoit, at the hotel to take care of the police detective, who has been asking questions about the robbers. Dolph, Lylle and Darlene are unaware that everyone on the island knows that they are the robbers and that they all want the money.

After a while an unknown killer starts eliminating people on the island. Lylle suspects the killer to be the holder of the one million dollars or a person looking for it. After Dolph dies, followed by Livio and Jannis, Lylle goes insane searching for the million. Lylle eventually finds out that innocent looking Sandra is the killer and is in possession of the money. Fighting over the money, Lylle and Sandra fall off a cliff and die. Darlene, now the last woman standing, drowns herself as the police are arriving on the island.

Cast

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Selected release dates

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Alternative titles

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  • La môme aux dollars – Belgium
  • An Act of Violence – International (pre-release title)
  • Dog Eat Dog! – United States
  • Dollars Girl – Belgium (dubbed version)
  • L'ora di uccidere – Italy
  • When Strangers Meet – United Kingdom
  • La morte vestita di dollari – Italy (reissue title)
  • Estranho Encontro – Portugal (dubbed version)
  • O thanatos itan ntymenos me dollaria – Greece

Publicity promotion

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It has been said that Jayne Mansfield's name was mentioned first, on the posters, in order to get the film some good publicity. However, in the film's opening credits, Mansfield is billed last; as: "and Jayne Mansfield as Darlene"; she was also billed this way in most of the film's movie trailers. Even though Mansfield was capitalized as the movie's star, she was more of a supporting character.

Background

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Jayne Mansfield called the film: "The best role of my career." American audiences wanted to know where this role was, for Einer frisst den anderen was not released to American theaters until two years after its official German release, in 1964. When released in the U.S.. it was released as Dog Eat Dog!, and flopped as it did everywhere else. Today the feature carries on a cult gathering, as a forever "gold-digging" classic.

References

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  1. ^ "Two Outside Units Visit Yugoslavia". Variety. September 18, 1963. p. 4. Retrieved February 20, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
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